Ethics

[vc]

For the steer deal I know there is cheating going on, but most the time the ones winning aren't cheating. It is the ones trying to catch the ones winning that are cheating. The winners are the ones usually accused of cheating by the ones who are actually cheating. (not all the time but more times than not)

As far as airing, from what I understand about it, they do it when the calf is young, by the time they are fat steers it is almost impossible to tell they have been aired, until the hide comes off, and you need to be looking for it then to see it.

As far as the age thing on heifers, I have no solutions for you there. Like stated before the Judge, judges what he has in the ring as it is represented to him and makes his selection from there.

 

[rackranch]

What about Families that go out and spend 50-60 thousand dollars on a steer so their kid can win Ft. Worth or Houston.  Is that ethical? What are they teaching their children?

 

[RyanChandler]

What about Families that go out and spend 50-60 thousand dollars on a steer so their kid can win Ft. Worth or Houston.  Is that ethical? What are they teaching their children?

Simple- The Golden Rule: The man w/ the most gold rules. That's life. Either accept your place in this world and go on w/ it...or... take the necessary steps to put yourself in the position you want to be in.

 

[vc]

Well after reading all the reports about FW does not matter how much you spend if your not in the ring early might as well not go in.

What lesson? That they have more money than the others and when you have more money you can spend more money, ??? If ten people each spend 40,000 on a calves for FW, and there is only one winner, I would guess the nine that did not win, if any of the high $ steers learned, you cant buy everything.

I also wonder what the kids who have a middle of the road priced steer learn when they win, hard work, dedication and a good eye pays?

The what lesson, who can justify spending, why would you sell for, stance kind of irks me. If you spend more than market for a steer calf to show as a market steer what are you teaching your kids? The whole thing has gotten a little distorted from it's original format, It started by buying or raising a market steer, purchased from a local farm or from your own herd, you were competing against like animals feeding the same thing from the same mill, and then it got competitive, Frank feeds special feed and wins, Tom goes out of the county and buys a calf it wins, pretty soon everyone is feeding special feed, buying calves from all over, looking for that next special thing to give them the edge over the competition.
Happens in sports, business, livestock showing, just about anything that is competitive, people will always look for an edge to put them in front, some stay between the lines others cross the lines,
It is up to each individual to decide how they will play the game, we as parents have to hope that we have set the right example and they choose to stay between the lines.

I sold a calf for market price to a kid last year, I guarantied he would go through auction (every steer goes through auction at our fair, they get 3 percent of each sale) He ended up wining his class and going in for champion, I told him if he had not skipped those couple of rinsing, got up a little earlier worked, a little harder he may have just won. We will see if it sunk in this year. Would he have won? Probably not. Had he done all the he could to have that calf at it's best? probably not, he worked hard but not as hard as he could have. That is the kind of lesson I want kids to learn, in school, cattle showing, and life, if you did all that you could, then you know you did your best.

 

[vc]

I do have a question, is it right for the parents to work on the animal at home. Some say no, some say yes, I say some times.

I think it is important for the kids to do the work but I also think it is important for them to have balance in their life, if the parent needs to rinse in the afternoon because the kids has sports, band, FFA activity or some other after school activity, I think it is fine if the parent helps. I do not think the parent or hired help should raise the project and hand junior the halter at the ring.

Starting in April every year my rinsed twice a day they rinsed in the morning before school, if they had practice or a game and it would interupt the animals schedule I would rinse in the evening for them. (they would rather do it themselves because they did not like the way I did it, kind of like the laundry, do it just right and you never have to do it again, in fact you are to never do it again)

 

[rackranch]

Dang Ryan, you been watching Housewives Of Beverly Hills again? (lol)

What about Families that go out and spend 50-60 thousand dollars on a steer so their kid can win Ft. Worth or Houston.  Is that ethical? What are they teaching their children?

Simple- The Golden Rule: The man w/ the most gold rules. That's life. Either accept your place in this world and go on w/ it...or... take the necessary steps to put yourself in the position you want to be in.

 

[SWMO]

Yes, but it is really satisfying to raise cattle that go out and sometimes beat those that cost a whole lot of dough.  Just ask my kids how much funner it is to have raised that good heifer that went out and beat a bunch of good purchased heifers.  Sometimes it is about having good genetics and a bit of good luck and it is fun to raise a good one.   Money does not buy a winner it also takes a while lot of work on someones part.

 

[vc]

SWMO, you are correct, can't worry about what was spent by others, you can only do your best with what you have, and if you do your best and beat them it only feels sweeter.

 

[JY]

It's really not the American way to teach kids that it's not fair for someone to have a more expensive car than them or live in a bigger house than them. That's where we are with Obama now. Yes when my kids were showing they would have liked to buy some of the high selling steers but they understood we couldn't afford to. They were happy with what they had and loved to show. We as a family discussed the unethical things that were done and we tried to make it a life lesson that just because you don't have a lot of money you don't go rob a bank or cheat to get it. Sure did not like getting beat by manufactured ones but then it was fun to beat the high dollar one or the phony ones. They grew up and are honest fair citizens who believe in hard work and don't believe in cheating their way to the top.

 

[herfluvr]

It's in every industry.  Just read on a horse forum about a person asking about Ralgro for use in halter horses to increase the topline.  Just have to decide what line you walk.  Just because there are unethical people doesn't mean you have to be one.  Not how daddy raised me.

 

[GONEWEST]

What about Families that go out and spend 50-60 thousand dollars on a steer so their kid can win Ft. Worth or Houston.  Is that ethical? What are they teaching their children?

Simple- The Golden Rule: The man w/ the most gold rules. That's life. Either accept your place in this world and go on w/ it...or... take the necessary steps to put yourself in the position you want to be in.

^^^^ this

I am pretty sure X Bar's scrip has ran our recently...............

Not everyone will ever be able to buy a $60,000 steer. But it's just how life is. Sometimes some people work to be able to buy those calves, other times they are the recipient of good fortune. It's just how it is. Do the best you can.

 

[irh]

There is more to this than just spending $60,000 on a animal.  Alot of these judges are in on it too, so how much are they getting?  I seen a couple sweetheart deals In Ohio this past weekend.  The judge in ring B was very interesting to watch.  He was very obivious what was going on, wouldn't even look at some of the other good cattle in the ring, the other cattle deserve more than he gave.  It was already done before the cattle got into the ring!!  I 'don't want to hear that we need to go pay more or get involved with someone that will get us to the winning ring, that is why this country is in the shape it is in, because of money in someone else's back pocket.

 

[Cow Chaser]

I wouldn't care if I had millions of dollars laying around, there is no way I would spend $60,000 on a steer.  I wouldn't speed $5,000 personally on a steer but I'm not into steers I like the heifers. 

 

[Mainevent]

I'm with you Cow Chaser, I have yet to see a steer worth 60,000. I have seen some heifers and cows worth that though

 

[RyanChandler]

When you're loaded money is relative. You no longer have to rationalize in terms of scarcity.  My boss recently bought a new BMW 760 Li.  I was kinda giving him a hard time, I was like how the hell you drop that kinda money on transportation.  He said, "Ryan, you can't put a price tag on safety."  I nodded- point taken.  Just like these folks buying a "60k" steer.  To these people, there is no price tag too great to pay for their kid to have the opportunity to 'win.'

 

[Cow Chaser]

Problem is that $60,000 steer doesn't come with a guarantee to win, you never know he might not win his county fair.

 

[RyanChandler]

Just like the car, you're not guaranteed to live through a wreck, you just have a much better chance.

 

[DSC]

Wow. Instead of sitting here complaining about what people spend get off your butt and get to work! Money is what makes the world go round. People that spend tons of money on steers and heifers are helping this industry prosper. I am not saying you have to spend a lot to win but you do have to work hard day in and day out. It's not going to help by complaining about everyone else. I'm just saying.

 

[Cow Chaser]

I'm not really complaining, and I do think it's great somebody can get that kind of money for their calves, but more than likely if you spend $60,000 on a steer you are paying someone to work hard for you instead of doing it yourself.

 

[rackranch]

Could knowing there is a 60,000 steer in the ring cause a judge to make an unethical decesion ?